I'm thinking of exploring flash-photography. I have absolutely no experience with flashguns, never even held one)Canon 430 EX II is my main candidate now, but I hear that Nissin Di-622 is also not bad and at half the price.

Can anyone advice on this? How well does non-canon auto-expose? I guess I could stretch a little more to 580 EX II, but does an amateur like me need one?I'll mostly be using it for portraits indoor and outdoor, maybe a little for macro. Oh and occasiaonally I free-lance photographing different theatrical plays/shows/events and sometimes find myself in need of flash to photograph people after shows (artists communicating with audience, group shot etc.)

Also, to all who use flashguns: what chargers are preferable for Ni-MH batteries? And which batteries price/quality-wise?

And the last rooky-question)) My girlfriend is using Panasonic G3 and is also very interested in exploring photography. Is it possible to use canon flashes with G3? Probably not in auto but in manual and probably with some sort of wireless triggers and what-nots? Or is it impossible?